Partnership will connect students, families and staff to needed community-based behavioral and/or mental healthcare options
Care Solace, an organization determined to calm the chaos of mental healthcare coordination, has been selected by the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) to support behavioral and mental healthcare referrals for its nearly 63,000 students, families and staff members. Care Solace equips school districts with a web-based tool that makes it easier for students, families and staff to connect with mental healthcare resources and providers in their communities.
“School is more than a place to learn, it’s a place where students come to feel embraced, included and supported and with more than 400 referrals made in the first two weeks of our soft rollout, we see that there’s an unmet need,” said Don Ross, director of student support and health services at EGUSD. “We chose Care Solace for their unique ability to further our commitment to finding solutions that strengthen the health and safety of our learning community.”
According to Child Trends, quick and easy access to evidence-based intervention offers the best opportunity to reduce the burden of economic and health costs associated with mental health disorders. Care Solace’s care navigation system uses proprietary technology and the largest database of behavioral and mental healthcare resources in California to find carefully vetted local therapists and programs in minutes. Families of EGUSD will also have access to an around-the-clock Care Concierge team, where experts guide families through processes related to insurance, provider availability, wait times and scheduling.
“By partnering with a mission-driven school district like Elk Grove Unified, we’re paving a new path forward to connect students to verified community-based resources in times of need. There are many barriers that make it difficult for schools and families to get mental healthcare. We want to lift that burden so they can focus on what’s most important – getting well,” said Chad Castruita, founder of Care Solace. “We couldn’t be more proud to support Elk Grove Unified in strengthening the wellbeing of their community.”
Care Solace provides the network necessary to help faculty, students and families determine when support is needed, and assists in coordinating community-based mental healthcare options. In areas with limited access to behavioral and mental healthcare resources and providers, professional counseling is available through online therapy sessions. Last year alone, more than 80,000 school staff and parents used the pre-screening tool, and at least 30,000 students received mental healthcare services as a result. Care Solace has facilitated an estimated 4,000 crisis interventions.
Care Solace is now available to EGUSD families and staff. For more information about Care Solace, please visit https://home.caresolace.com/.
About the Elk Grove Unified School District
The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) is the fifth-largest school district in California located in southern Sacramento County. EGUSD covers 320 square miles and includes 67 schools: 42 elementary schools, nine middle schools, nine high schools, five alternative education schools, an adult school, one charter school and a virtual academy. Offering a multitude of educational programs, including over 70 career-themed academies and pathways within 15 industry sectors, we prepare our students for college and career by supporting them with the means to be creative problem solvers; self-aware, self-reliant, and self-disciplined; technically literate; effective communicators and collaborators; and engaged in the community as individuals with integrity. We integrate rigorous academics with career-based learning and real-world workplace experiences and ensure that Every Student is Learning, in Every Classroom, in Every Subject, Every Day to Prepare College, Career and Life Ready Graduates.
About Care Solace
Care Solace is on a mission to calm the chaos associated with mental healthcare coordination for high school and college students. The organization’s web-based system works alongside multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) as a tool for school staff and families to connect with community-based mental healthcare resources and providers. The proprietary care navigation system taps into a vast database of mental healthcare resources to find carefully vetted local therapists and programs in minutes. In 2019, more than 80,000 school staff and parents used the Care Solace pre-screening tool. At least 30,000 students received mental healthcare support as a result. To learn more, visit http://www.caresolace.com.
